Chapter 34 – I Have Come

Ning Zhaorou figured she had a bit of luck on her side—otherwise, how could she have taken a detour and happened to run into someone familiar? But if she was lucky, then the person she ran into only made her heart even more unsettled.

As the carriage from the Ministry of Rites passed by, it came to a stop. The curtain was pulled open, revealing the elegant and composed face of An Yunwei.

She seemed slightly surprised to see Ning Zhaorou here, especially when her eyes landed on the rain-soaked hem of Ning Zhaorou’s skirt and the muddy, empty road behind her.

“Second Miss Ning, do you need help?” An Yunwei looked her up and down, but despite her words, she showed no intention of inviting her into the carriage. Her gaze lingered on the mud-caked shoes for a moment.

Ning Zhaorou felt her throat go dry. She swallowed hard, trying her best to keep her voice steady as she replied softly, “I wasn’t feeling well and wanted to return home early. But my carriage got stuck in the mud, so I was walking down to find help.”

“If it’s not too much trouble, Miss An, may I ask for a ride down the mountain?”

Perhaps it was the pitiful tone in her voice, because An Yunwei let out a small laugh, opened the curtain wider, and said with a smile, “How could it be any trouble? Come on in, Second Miss Ning, and get out of the rain.”

Ning Zhaorou let out a silent sigh of relief, bowed to thank her, and climbed into the carriage by herself.

It was warmer inside than outside. Ning Zhaorou sat near the door, occupying only a small space, her head lowered as she stared at her dirty shoes and muddy skirt.

An Yunwei accepted a cup of tea from her maid, took a sip, and gently set it down. Seemingly trying to make conversation, she brought up the recent gathering at the Ministry of Rites.

“Second Miss Ning, you left in such a hurry last time. You probably didn’t know that Prince Jing later sent someone looking for you.”

She observed Ning Zhaorou’s reaction carefully. Her face was pale—whether from fright or the cold, it was hard to tell. An Yunwei continued, “His Highness said he had been drinking that day and acted out of line, so he specially sent someone to apologize. But unfortunately, you had already left.”

Ning Zhaorou tightened her grip on her handkerchief, opened her mouth, and refuted calmly, “Perhaps His Highness mistook me for someone else. I merely saw him from afar before he went the wrong way and was taken away. We barely even exchanged words, let alone anything improper.”

“Is that so?” It was unclear whether An Yunwei believed her.

“The weather these days has been dreadful,” An Yunwei said lightly. “But going up the mountain to seek blessings from Buddha in this kind of weather—surely the Bodhisattva will see our sincerity.”

Lian Guang Temple was known for granting romantic blessings. Since An Yunwei had gone on her own, Ning Zhaorou could already guess what she meant by that.

So she forced herself to nod and replied, “Miss An is right.”

The carriage continued smoothly down the mountain. When they reached the fork between the Ministry of Rites and the Anping Marquis’ estate, An Yunwei let her off.

“Thank you again, Miss An,” Ning Zhaorou said, bowing once more in gratitude.

From behind the curtain came An Yunwei’s voice, laced with feigned kindness and the tone of someone watching a show: “Hurry home, Second Miss Ning. Don’t catch a cold again.”

The carriage rolled away.

Shuangwu helped Ning Zhaorou back to the marquis’ residence. She had just changed clothes and drank some ginger tea when Madam Wu and Ning Wanqing also returned.

Soon, someone came to summon her to the front hall.

The moment she stepped down from the carriage earlier, Ning Zhaorou had guessed something like this might happen, so she wasn’t surprised at all.

Her father was also present.

Madam Wu dabbed her eyes with her sleeve, sobbing quietly. “It was my fault for not taking good care of the young lady.”

Ning Zhaorou arrived just in time. As soon as Madam Wu saw her, she forgot all about wiping her tears and hurried over, wanting to examine her closely for any injuries.

But Ning Zhaorou stepped back a few paces, avoiding her touch.

A flash of coldness flickered across Madam Wu’s face, but she quickly steadied herself and stammered out, “The coachman came running back and told me the carriage got stuck in the mud. I immediately sent people to go check, but when the curtain was lifted—your person was gone.”

“I—I had no idea where you’d gone. We raised a daughter all these years—she can’t just vanish into thin air on a mountain.”

“Luckily, the Madam of the Chengyang Count’s household and her third son came across me. They said they’d help me look for you.”

“Only later did someone from our own household come and say that Second Miss had already returned.”

“It truly gave this mother a fright.”

Listening to her speak with such theatrical concern made Ning Zhaorou feel nauseous. When Madam Wu finally finished, three pairs of eyes turned to her.

Suppressing her discomfort, she lowered her gaze and calmly explained, “The carriage was stuck in the mud. I was worried that being stranded on the main road would bring disgrace to the Marquis’ household. Just then, I happened to run into the eldest daughter of the Ministry of Rites, so I asked her to take me down the mountain.”

Not hearing what she had hoped for, Madam Wu was somewhat disappointed. She had already discussed things with the Madam of the Chengyang Count’s household. The plan was for Ning Zhaorou to be intercepted on the road with no escape, and then let that third son “escort” her away. That way, something would have to come of it.

But unexpectedly, An Yunwei showed up midway and ruined the scheme again.

Two failed attempts—she would have to come up with a new plan.

But since she had been caught in this situation, she wouldn’t let Ning Zhaorou off easily without making her suffer some hardship.

“You really should have sent word, even if you did run into Miss An,” Madam Wu scolded. “It’s one thing for our own people to go looking for you, but even the Chengyang Count’s household was dragged into it. A grown girl like you is getting harder to manage.”

The Marquis, as the head of the household, didn’t wait to hear more. He immediately ordered her to be confined to the ancestral hall for the night to reflect on her actions.

The ancestral hall was located in the northern garden of the Marquis’ estate, deep inside the compound. Maybe because of the dense trees surrounding it, the entire place always felt cold and damp. Even in summer, it never felt warm.

Ning Zhaorou had been punished to kneel in the ancestral hall many times as a child and had often fallen ill because of it. It wasn’t just the cold—it was the fear of being alone in the shrine. She hadn’t even dared to cry too loudly.

Now, though she’d gotten used to it, it was still bone-chilling.

That night, Shuangwu brought her a cloak. Ning Zhaorou kneeled inside, while Shuangwu kept watch outside.

By the time morning came, just as expected, Ning Zhaorou had fallen ill again.

Her body alternated between bouts of shivering cold and waves of feverish heat. This constant back-and-forth made her dizzy and weak. At some point, while half-asleep, she detected a strange shift in the air—a presence, like a predator watching from the shadows, waiting silently for the prey to notice.

She forced her heavy eyes open. Darkness.

Only after a few moments did she adjust to the gloom and realize that moonlight was seeping in through the window.

With each breath, a familiar, comforting scent seemed to weave around her like invisible threads, slowly wrapping her entire body.

She held her breath and sat up slowly, her trembling hand reaching to pull back the curtain at the side of her bed.

Seated just across from her in a chair was a familiar figure. No one knew how long he had waited there. Under the moonlight, he could clearly see the sorry state she was in.

He let out a soft sigh, fingers gently turning the white jade ring he wore. Then he lifted his hand slightly and said:

“Zhao-zhao, I have come.”